Improvement in grain-separators



` 35h V'Lv-S11 tl. P.E.'MERR1HEW. y @es ee GRAIN SEPARATOR.

- Patented Aug`.22,18'76.

WJIJVESSES SSheetsSheetS.- LE. MERRIHEW. j

GRAIN sEPARAToR. No.181,462. Patented Aug. Z2, 1876.

NFETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D. C.

NITED; STATES PATENT OLFrIen.

PHINEAS Mnnnmnw, or FOND DU Lao, wisconsin.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRA|,NSEPARATORS.

Specification forming part of LettersxPatent No. 181,462, dated August 22,1876; application file December 18, 1875.

loall whom it may concern V` Beit known that I, PHINEAs EMERRIHEW, l

of Fond du Lac, in the county of Fond du `Lac and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in Thrashing-Machines; and I do hereby declare 'the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to 3, a longitudinal vertical section ofthesame,

exhibiting the interior constructionl thereof. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on the line x an; and Fig. 5, a vertical cross-section on the line y y, Fig. 3, of my invention. The nature of my invention consists in certain constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, inthe manner to be hereinafter shown and specifically claimed, whereby greater efciency is secured in the separation of the thrashed grain from the straw at a point between the thrashing-cylinder and the lower end of the straw-carrier proper, and in the carriage of the thrashed straw `from the cylinder to the rear end of the machine, from vwhich it is delivered to be stacked -awayl or otherwise disposed of. l I Y' In order that others skilled in the art to which it pertains may be enabledto'make and use my improved thrashing-machine, I will now proceed to describe the f same with refer-y ences to the drawings, in which similar letters designate like parts of my invention.

A represents the frame ofthe machine; B,

the thrashing-cylinder, which revolves upon the shaft B1; B2, the concave; and C and D', grain, chaff, and straw carriers. The vrear portion of the concave B2 is slotted, in order to permit the grain which becomes separated from the chaff during the act of thrashing to Vpass through between the bars to the graincarrier C, which is operated by the shafts C1 C2, and thence to be carried to the separating or shoe portion of the machine. Immediately in rear of this'slotted portion ofthe concave f B2, and in close proximity to it, is an inclined floor, E, provided with longitudinal slats e, the upper edges of which are beveled outwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, and which slats, for a portion of their length, are provided with slots e p y p rIhis floor is so arranged as to bring its lower end nearly on a planewith the upper, rear, and slotted portion of the 'concave-B2, and thus serve as a continuation of the same, and to bring its upper or rear end a short distance above and in front of the shaft D of the lower end of the straw-carrier D.

Above this stationary inclined slotted door is a lifting or tilting'floor, F, also provided withlongitudinal slats f, the upper surfaces of which 'are semi-lozenge-shaped, and the lower portions constructed in such a manner as `will permit them to be received between v' the slats e of the under oor E, as shownv in Fig. 5, and rest on the beveled surfaces thereof. This lfting-fioor is hinged or hung at its lower end, as shown at F1, in vertical oblong slots F2 of the frame A, to prevent longi tudinal displacement, but at the same time permit an upward and downward movement, the extent of which may be regulated by the length of. the slots, while lthe upper end is left free to move vertically to a limited extent.

G G are shafts, provided with teeth or cams g, arranged underneath the floors E and F in such a manner as will enable these cams, as the shafts are vibrated, to come in contact with the under edges of the slats f, which project down through the slots between the 'slats e of the floor E, and thus communicate analter'nating lifting or tilting motion to the respective ends of said inclined floor F.

H H1112 are revolving shafts, provided with fingers or beaters, and arranged (one underneath and two above the foors E F) in such a manner as to cause their` lingers to overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 3. These fingers vmove in the space between they slats ofthe upper fioor F and in the slots e', formed in the slats e of the floor E, and the shafts are so speeded relatively that the fingers of one do not interfere or oo me in contact with the fingers of the other.

I is a lifting-fork, arranged immediately at the upper or rear end of the floors E F, and the fingers of which overhang the carrier D', closing the space between the carrier and the floors; and K is an, auxiliary beater, to take the straw from the lifting-fork and acceleratev 'is motion along the endless carrier D toward he piace of deposit.

L is a raddle or screen arranged in the shoe f the machine, provided with longitudinal lats l, a'nd suspended so as to vibrate longiudinally from the vibratingshaft M by means `f the hingedrodsM, and partially supported lnd controlled by the spring-rods m.

N N1 N`2 are shafts, provided with fingers or ieaters, and arranged underneath the raddle 1 in such a manner as will permit the fingers o project up between the slats l, as shown in figs. 3 and 4. p A i O is the fan for furnishing a blast to drive .way the chaff, and P is the receiving or conlucting spout for the separated grain as it omes from the sieve Q.` I This receiving or onducting spout is provided with two dishargespouts, one on each side of the ma-` hine, to facilitate the removal of the thrashed ,'raln.

It is a receivingspout attached Ato the rear nd of the raddle L, provided with a fender, and designed to catch the unthrashed heads ,nd conduct them to the elevator S, operated y the shaft S', by whichthey are carried ack and discharged into the machine to be ,gain` thrashed..

At the rear end of the machine, as shown n Fig. 1, is a belt-tightener, consisting of a ever, T, pivoted at t, and provided with a riction drum or pulley, T', over which the .rivingbelt U passes, and `by means of which .evice the belt may be brought to any desired .egree of tension, in a very expeditious man..- ier, `by simply elevating or lowering the tightf ning-drum by means of the lever-handle atached thereto. This device may alsobeused o instantaneously stop all that portion ofthe iachine in rear of the thrashing.- cylinder rithont throwing ol the belting, as when the ressure of the drum against the belt is re- Joved the band will not hold, but slip upon he pulleys. a

V is a pulley or guide-roller fixed near the lottom of the machine, and below the line of vorkin g pulleys carrying the belt, underneath vhichythe belt passes, and is thus kept from nterferng with the working of the various arts of the machine, as it 'might otherwise lo, and at the same time enables a single belt o perform the duties of several belts or gears f wheels. The shafts B?, C2, D, H, H1, H2, N, O, and S are provided upon one of their nds with pulleys b c d h h1 h2 k n o s, all arauged upon the same side of the machine, to eceive and carry the belt U; and the shaft upon its opposite end, is provided with the =ccentric d; and the shaft O2 of the grain-can ier G is provided upon its opposite end with he eccentric c',- and the shaftN on its oppoite end is provided with the cog-wheelnl. lie shaft S upon its opposite endis also pro- 'ided with a cog-wheel, s. The eccentric d s connected to a crank, i, upon the end of the :hatt ot' the lifting-fork I by means of the rod ',wandto cranks glL g2 upon the ends of `thc shafts Gr G', which give movement to the floor F, by means of rods g3 g, and by this simple arrangement the desired motion of these parts is secured. The eccentric c is connected by a rod, m2, toa crank, m1, on the end of the As', for the purpose of transmitting a similar motion to the shaft N2.` Having thus described the construction of my machine, I will now proceed `toiexplain the manner in which' motion is communicated to the various parts of my invention. The endless belt U is passed over and under the pulleys e la, h1 h2 la do n, and above or over the tightening-,drum T', then under the pulley s, and thencecrossing itself,is brought back toward thefront of the machine, passing underneath the guide-pulley V and over the pulley b of the thrashing-cylinder, as shown in Fig. 1. When the proper connection between the cylinder-shaft Bl and the motive power has been made and the, machine startf ed,lthe continuous belt U will cause the pulleys over and under which it passes to revolve in the directions indicated by the arrows,`Figs. 1 and 3 i It is easily to. be perceived that, as these pulleys and` theshafts which carrythern revolve, their motion will be communicated to the eccentrics c' d' and to the cog-wheels'n1 s', and also that, by means of the. rods g? g", which connect the shafts Gr lar-s with.` the shaft D and the connecting-rod i', the liftingffloor F and lifting-fork Iare; operated.

Itwill also` be seen that, asthe shaftN is' i revolved by means of the pulley mthe cogwheel nlltransmits motion through the intermediatejwheel atto the shaft N1,and thatthe cog-wheel s! upon the shaft S' through the medium of a similar wheel, (not shown,) com.-

municates, a` rotary` motion to. the shaft N2,

and` the` whole series ofl beatersiupon' these shafts are thus brought to revolve in"1 thesame direction, and relatively to` each` other.. At the same time the vibrating shaft M isoperated by the eccentric o' on the endlof the shaft C?, the connectingrod m2, and the crank ml, arranged and combined as shown; inliigr'2.`

It willthus heA seen that i comparatively litf tle machinery is. required to makemyinvention effective, and thatthis machinery is arranged in a compact and convenient manner.

Its; operation is equally simple and com? plete. Supposingthe machineto be innio` tion,the thrashed grain thatdoes notfall betweenthe slats of the` concave B2 upon: the grain-carrier (Lis driven, with the straw` and chaff, up on; the inclined floors E` `Ili bythe rier.

. hand. I ind this lifting-Hoor to be a valuable auxiliary to the beaters above and below it, and that it materially aids in expediting the separation ofthe grain from the straw and chaff. The lifting-fork I receives the straw and chaff from 'the lifting-Hoor F, and passes it on to the auxiliary beater K, from whence it is carried, by the carrier D', to the stack or other place of deposit, while the ne chaff', grain, and unthrashed heads find their way to the shoe of' the machine by means of the car- -rier C and through the slots inthe straw-car- Upon reaching the shoe of the machine.

the grain, chaff, and nnthrashed heads fall upon the longitudinally-vibrating raddle L,

. where the sifting and separating process Ais again repeated, the beaters N Nl N2 underneath the raddle thoroughly agitating the mass as it falls upon them, while at the same time the blast from the fan drives away the chaff', leaving the grain free to fall between the slats ot the raddle upon the sieve or screen Q, from whence it finds its way into/the receiving-spout P. The unthrashed heads, not being able to pass through the slots -of the raddle L, find their way into the receivingspout R, whence they are carried, by the elevator S, back to the cylinder to be thrashed i over again. -In some cases it may be practical to place 'all the beaters H H1 H2 in the same plane above or below the lifting-licor. It might also be practical to substitute for these beaters, and for the lifting-floor and cam-shafts, an endless intermediate inclined lelevator similar to D.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

Y .1. An intermediate inclined moving slatted elevating-floor, in com bination with the thrashing-cylinder and concave, and straw-carrier, substantially as described,

2. In combination with the inclined slatted elevating-floor, straw-carrier, and thrashingcylinder, the revolving beaters thereof, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3; The horizontally suspended and supported longitudinally-vibrating raddle L, in combination vwith the revolving beaters NNN2 l of the shoe, whose fingers are adapted to Work between the slats of said raddle, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a thrashing-machine, the combination of the intermediate slatted or slottediuclined and moving elevating-floor and its beaters with the thrashing-cylinder and its concave, lifting-fork, auxiliary beater,and stra w-carrier, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

Witness my hand in matter of my application for a patent for improvement in thrashing-machines.

' Witnesses: A n

GEO. P. KNoWLEs, JOHN SPENGE.

PHINEAS E. MERRIHEW. 

